PRIVACY POLICY and TERMS:
This document provides information relating to how Autism Assessment Scotland handles any information provided to us by website visitors, patients/clients, and associates.
This information includes personal and financial information as defined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016.
Autism Assessment Scotland uses the information we collect in accordance with all laws concerning the protection of personal data, including the Data Protection Act 1998 and the GDPR 2016. As per these laws, Autism Assessment Scotland are data controllers. Your individual clinician will also have their own privacy policies as data controllers and processors.
Keeping Your Records
Autism Assessment Scotland complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and is committed to protecting your personal information. This policy describes our procedures for ensuring that personal information about clients is processed fairly and lawfully.
It contains important information about what personal details Autism Assessment Scotland collect, what we do with the information, who we may share it with and why; and your choices and rights when it comes to the personal information you have given.
Autism Assessment Scotland may need to make changes to this Privacy Policy in the future and update the policy with any important changes.
Collection of Personal Information
To provide you with a meaningful and high standard of care and attention, Autism Assessment Scotland requires to hold accurate personal information about you.
The Nature of Personal Information
Only personal information which is relevant to the care, support and treatment of the client will be obtained and only with consent. The type of information Autism Assessment Scotland hold would include:
· Date of birth
· Address of the client’s home
· Home Telephone & / or Mobile Telephone Numbers
· Email Addresses
· Name of GP Surgery
· Name of previous Educational Establishment (if applicable)
· Relevant Medical Diagnosis & Development History
· Email Correspondence from other Healthcare Professionals (as mutually agreed)
· Written Reports
Sources of Personal Information
Personal information about a client is usually obtained initially from the client or a family member either verbally or through written means e.g. email, Short Message Service (text message).
Only with your consent would information from other professionals working with you be sought e.g. General Practitioner Doctor, Psychiatrist, Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, Counsellor.
Sharing of Personal Information
Only with your consent would Autism Assessment Scotland submit verbal or written reports with other professionals.
Unless Autism Assessment Scotland is required to by law, Autism Assessment Scotland will not disclose any personal information relating to you.
Autism Assessment Scotland does not employ agents to process personal data, for example, specialist mailing companies to send out communications, nor do we give or sell client details to any third parties.
Usage of Personal Information
Personal information is used to provide individually tailored and meaningful assessment, diagnosis, and intervention where appropriate.
Personal information is used in order to communicate with clients via post, telephone call or email. These communication channels will only be used if consent has been given.
Storage of Personal Information
Documents which contain confidential information such as reports and clinical notes are password protected.
Any paper based confidential information such as assessments are stored securely in locked filing cabinets in accordance with Data Protection Regulations.
After the assessment, paper based information relating to the client will be destroyed.
UK Data Protection Law and EU General Data Protection Regulations
The clinicians are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). For further information: ICO Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Autism Assessment Scotland: Lawful Basis for Processing Personal Information
Autism Assessment Scotland’ lawful basis for processing and storing personal information is one of ‘legitimate interest’ (under article 6 of GDPR). Autism Assessment Scotland cannot adequately deliver a service to a client without processing their personal information. As it is both a necessity for service delivery and of benefit to a client, Autism Assessment Scotland has a legitimate interest to process and store data. Data relating to an individual’s health is classified as ‘Special Category Data’ under section 9 of the GDPR. The regulations specify that health professionals who are “legally bound to professional secrecy” may have a lawful basis for processing this data. Speech and Language Therapists, Clinical Psychologists and Nurses are legally bound to keep client information confidential, and it is under this condition that Autism Assessment Scotland processes and stores personal information.
Your Rights
Your key rights, as a client, that will be protected by GDPR are as follows:
Ø The right to be informed
Ø The right to access
Ø The right to rectification
Ø The right to erasure (where appropriate)
Ø The right to restrict processing
Ø The right to data portability
Ø The right to object
Ø The right not to be subject to automated decision-making including profiling
For further information, visit www.ico.org.uk/for-the-public/is-my-information-being-handled-correctly.
Where do we keep your personal information?
We take your privacy very seriously. We are committed to taking reasonable steps to protect any individual identifying information that you provide to us. To prevent unauthorised disclosure or access to your information, we have implemented physical and electronic security safeguards. All personal information provided is stored in compliance with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) rules. We also keep client information using practice management/record keeping software which is GDPR compliant, uses secure login and data encryption to keep records secure.
How long do we keep your personal information?
Adult health records not covered by any other section are usually retained for eight years.
Children's records are retained until their 25th birthday, or 26th if the patient was 17 when treatment ended.
mental health records including psychology records are retained for 20 years after cessation of treatment or 10 years after death (previous guidance cited eight years after death)
Where do we send your personal information to?
We send any reports/letters to you or to anyone we are required by law to inform. All reports that are sent electronically are sent as attachments.
We send reports to other health care providers when requested by and authorised by you.
How can I see all the information you have about me?
You can make a subject access request (SAR) by contacting us. We may require additional verification of your identity. We will aim to provide you with SAR information within 30 days of your written request.
What if my information is incorrect?
Please contact us. We may require additional verification that you are who you say you are to process this request.
How can I have my information removed?
If you want to have your data removed, we have to determine if we need to keep the data, for example in case HMRC wish to inspect our records. If we decide that we should delete the data, we will do so without undue delay.
Website and Cookie Policy
Our website is hosted in data centres in the United Kingdom which comply with GDPR rules.
Like many other websites, the Autism Assessment Scotland website uses cookies. Cookies are small pieces of information that are stored on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. The cookies we use are 1st party cookies. We do not use any 3rd party cookies (these are often used to track behaviour across a range of websites, so targeted advertising can then be applied.)
Like most websites, our website uses Google Analytics (GA) to track user interaction. Google Analytics sets cookies to help us accurately estimate the number of visitors to the website and what content is most visited. This helps to ensure that our website is responding to your needs in the best way possible. If you do not consent, you must turn off cookies or refrain from using the site.
Record of payments and retention of payment information
We keep records of invoices, payments, and receipts for accounting purposes. We are required to retain this information for 7 years in line with HMRC requirements. After seven years we delete and/or shred this information.
How do I make a complaint?
If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your data, you can contact us via email. Please contact us for further information about next steps if your complaint has not been resolved.
If you wish to access the information that Autism Assessment Scotland hold with respect to your information, please contact in writing by email.
By signing our Contact/Consent form, you agree to our Terms and Conditions or by continuing to use our services, you acknowledge that you understand and consent to our terms and conditions of service.
Term and Conditions:
Welcome:
Welcome to Autism Assessment Scotland (Partner service of Neurodiversity-Diagnostics).
We always do our best to provide you with the best service we can, and it is important to read the terms and conditions of our service before agreeing to engage with our services.
Services we offer:
We offer a range of online and face to face neurodevelopmental assessments and therapy support. If an assessment is not listed, please get in touch and we will let you know if we can help you with your enquiry.
Consent:
We ask all adults to provide written consent by completing and returning the contact/consent form to take part in the assessment.
If you are making the appointment on behalf of someone else, we ask you to discuss this with them. We require consent directly from the adult taking part in the assessment and their permission for you to correspond/share information on their behalf regarding the assessment.
A consent form will be emailed to the individual being assessed and they can send this back to the team directly. If you have any concerns about their capacity to consent, please let us know.
Private and NHS Assessments:
Our assessments follow the SIGN and NICE guidelines. This means all of our diagnostic assessments are carried out by two specialist clinicians and the process replicates that of the NHS. Many of our clinicians have worked as highly specialist clinicians within the NHS before moving into private practise and we are fortunate to maintain good relationships with our NHS colleagues.
To date, none of our assessments and subsequent diagnoses have been rejected or refused by the NHS or local authority. However, if you are in any doubt, we recommend you get in touch with your local NHS to discuss our clinical credentials and assessment process.
In the unlikely event there is ever a disagreement between the NHS and our service with regards to the outcome of an assessment, we have our own protocols for arranging an impartial second opinion by a clinician not associated with Neurodiversity Diagnostics.
Emergency information:
Please note, we are not a crisis or emergency service and operate typical working hours of Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm.
If you are in crisis, please call NHS 24 or dial 999 in an emergency. The Samaritans helpline is free: please call 116 123
Waiting times:
At times, we may be busy and will hold a waiting list, if the waiting times are extensive, we may close the waiting list.
Clinicians:
Our clinical practice consists of a team of clinicians. The clinicians are self-employed and practise as independent clinicians under the umbrella of Neurodiversity-Diagnostics and Autism Assessment Scotland.
All our clinicians are required to provide us with evidence of:
· Clinical qualification and registration with regulatory bodies
· Clinical experience
· DBS/PVG checks
· ICO registration
· Relevant training
We carefully choose the clinicians we work alongside with, however, in the event you have any concerns, please raise your concerns in the first instance with your clinician. If you do not feel your concerns have been resolved, please contact us at admin@autismassessmentscotland.co.uk where we will direct you to the most appropriate next steps.
Video Calling:
We offer online services and use Zoom or equivalent. Please read our guidance about video call online assessments.
Please make arrangements for alternatives such as phone call should the connection fail. Fees will not be reimbursed for poor signal or failed video calls.
Payments:
At the time of booking, we request you make payment to secure your appointment/s.
Please ensure you pay the balance of your fee at the time of booking.
We rarely experience difficulties with payments. If you are experiencing difficulties with the payment system, please get in touch.
We currently do not offer payment plans, but we do accept instalments made prior to your assessment. Please get in touch if this is something you are interested in.
Reports:
For assessment options that include a report, following your final appointment, you will receive your report in approximately 2-3 weeks. We can share the report with other professionals at your request.
Cancellations:
We are a highly specialised, small, dedicated team, offering specialist assessment and support services. As such, we offer a smaller number of allocated appointments so we can dedicate our time to the individuals we support.
We rarely experience difficulties with payments; however, we do have a payment policy. Cancellations made within 48 hours of the appointment will be charged 50% of the full rate, less than 24 hours will be charged the full rate.
Cancellations can be made by emailing admin@autismassessmentscotland.co.uk
No liability can be accepted for inconvenience or expense if unforeseen circumstances mean arrangements made by the clinicians must be cancelled or changed. No charge will be made to the client where the clinician cancels an appointment.
Complaints:
We do our very best to offer a quality and timely service. If we have not reached the standards of service you expected, we want to be able to offer resolution wherever possible.
In the first instance, please speak to your lead clinician with any concerns. If you are unable to or feel your issue has not been resolved, please get in touch with admin@autismassessmentscotland.co.uk
If you feel your complaint has still not been resolved, we will provide you with next steps for resolution.
